Eating Is A Challenge

I'm no stranger to Korean food. I thought I knew it well. I can name several dishes and I've eaten in my share of Korean restaurants both in SF and here in Daegu. Yet, each time we set out to find something to eat, I feel like I am on a search for the holy grail and never know what obstacles will come in my path.

Tonight Sonja told me she would bring me to a restaurant she went to with a student the other night. They had a bento and some kind of potato pancake. She said it was good. But on the way, she told me she wanted Korean barbecue. I know the requirements - pork instead of beef, chair seating, air-con, and hopefully beer.

We headed down the big street from our dorm towards the bus station and subway stop nearest our campus where there is a lot of activity and I thought a lot of restaurants. On the way we passed several interesting possibilities - one had rose noodles, which I hope to find more about and try. One looked like they had kalbi, and maybe even pork kalbi (rib meat). But on we went, pushing our luck.

Sonja showed me the restaurant she ate with her student. I recognized it from last time I was here. We had to take taxis every day from our dorm to another site where we taught and we passed this place every time. Sonja then told me it wasn't really that good. She suggested the place next door but I could not tell from the sign what kind of food the served. I've learned from experience that going in and looking at the menu or talking to someone inside doesn't help but can only be more confusing and kind of embarassing. Across the street we saw a place that said "Korean Grill". It seemed like a good bet. But the sun was shining directly into the place and I thought it would be hot, so I suggested another direction.

We walked but didn't find anything. I then suggested we turn back to the Korean Grill. We walked up to the place and I was trying to read the menu outside. It looked like a bunch of circles, squares and lines. Sonja just walked right in. She tried speaking to the waiter in English. He motioned for her to wait. A woman came over and spoke to us in Korean. This is the 2nd time that has happened. Why they go and get another person who also only speaks Korean is beyond me. She spoke to us in Korean, Sonja spoke to her in English. No one understood anyone else.

I said, "kalbi?" and she said no - and mentioned something else. I think it was that fatty pork we had the other day. I said, "dweji kalbi?" thinking it was a pork restaurant. She said no, and mentioned the same thing again.

We got up and left.

We walked past another restaurant where people were grilling things on hot plate type things. Sonja walked in. I couldn't make out anything on the menu, so I stayed outside. I did not want to be embarrassed again.

Sonja stuck her head outside and called me in. I thought maybe she found someone who spoke English. Instead, I think I was summoned to speak the few words of Korean I could muster.

I said, "kalbi?", he said something else, but then he said, "kalbi sal". I wasn't sure what that was. I said, "dweji kalbi?", asking if they had pork ribs, he said again, "kalbi sal". I didn't know what it was, but I assumed it was beef rib meat. We said okay and sat down.

We grilled our meat on a big iron plate rather than charcoal. The side dishes were good. The meat was okay. I wondered if it was dog. I didn't say anything to Sonja. She wasn't thrilled with the meal. I thought it was okay, and filled myself up on whatever it was.

From there were walked to the little market next to the bus terminal. It was very interesting and as we reached the back of the market the huge mountain that we can see from our dorm appeared against a pink sky. It was beautiful.

We walked around the back alleys of the market which was quiet. It felt like we had entered a different world. We passed all sorts of little shops, clothing, hambok, meat, fish, hardware stores, rice and beans, you name it, all interspersed. Sonja mentioned how odd it was to sell fish and clothes in the same place. I hadn't thought of it, but it was kind of "different".

It was fun exploring, even though finding a restaurant can be very frustrating, especially since the responsibility seems to always fall on me unless we're with one of the other trainers who live here and speak Korean. I really wish I knew more about the restaurants and could tell from the sign what kind of food they served. I'm getting really tired of entering places only to find I have no idea what they are serving.